


Sun

by ArchitectofSorrow



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Jaylah POV, Jaylah centric, M/M, Misunderstandings, One-Sided Attraction, POV First Person, Star Trek Beyond, mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:31:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8850376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchitectofSorrow/pseuds/ArchitectofSorrow
Summary: During Jim's surprise Birthday Party, it becomes obvious that Jaylah has a crush on Uhura. Set directly after Star Trek: Beyond. Canon Compliant.





	

‘Dance with me,’ Lieutenant Uhura says. She holds out her hand, and I take it uncertainly. She touches my waist.

‘What are you doing?’ I demand though I do not pull away.

‘Dancing, silly.’ Her eyes are warm – brown and warm like earth. Her hand is brown and warm too, and heat travels through it into my body, pooling between my legs and setting my face on fire. I do not understand what is wrong. Why is she so beautiful? Why does her smile make me want to press our lips together? She smells like spice and fruit, and her black, boob length hair makes a faint swooshing sound when she moves, as does the ruffled skirt of her dress. 

And we move, her graceful, me tense, across the floor. Montgomery Scotty claps his hands together, and James T points us out to his friend, Bones. It has been thirty years since James T came out of his mother’s uterus. We are celebrating. It is an Earth custom.

The room we are in is well lit and has the impression of being open because the walls are windows letting in a brilliant sunset, but it is crowded to me. Not since I have escaped captivity have I seen so many people in one place. It overwhelms me. Chekov, one of Montgomery Scotty’s mates, told me drinking might take my edge off, but I have had many glasses and still feel jittery.

‘Come on loosen up,’ Lieutenant Uhura says, ‘swing those shoulders a little.’

I do not understand, but I try. I jerk my shoulders up and down. 

‘Okay, Jaylah, good job,’ Lieutenant Uhura says, but I can tell by her face and Bones’s wild laughter that I am doing it wrong.

‘Stop laughing,’ I snap, ‘if you can do better, do so.’

Bones looks at James T. ‘Shall we show them how it’s done?’

James T smiles back. ‘Why not?’

I watch as they parade around the room, stepping and dipping and swirling. Most people are watching them now and nodding approval. Even Sulu, who is half asleep leaning against his husband, Ben, lifts his champagne glass in salute. 

‘Is that how it’s done?’ I ask Lieutenant Uhura.

‘One way.’ She looks at Spock, for help but he just shrugs. She turns back to me. ‘You’ve never danced before?’

‘No, there was never a time or place for dancing.’

She frowns and touches my arm. ‘I’m sorry.’

I feel my cheeks burn again, and wonder what is it about her touch that makes me so hot and twitchy. I can hardly stay still. Maybe it is because I have been alone for so long. It has been forever since someone touched me for something other than combat. ‘It is not your fault that I am unskilled in your body moving art, Lieutenant Uhura.’

She smiles and shakes her head. ‘As I’ve said it’s ‘dancing,’ and call me Nyota, it’s my first name.’

‘Nie-o-ta,’ I repeat back slowly.

‘You are surprisingly lucky,’ James T says, as he passes by on Bones’s arm, 'She had me guessing at her first name for three years.’

I look at Lieutenant Uhura – Nyota. ‘Why would you do that?’

‘I didn’t like him back then.’

‘Why not?’

Nyota shrugs. ‘He bothered me.’

‘But I don’t bother you?’

Nyota laughs. She has a kind laugh. It is warm like everything else about her. ‘No, darling,’ she says. She presses her lips to my cheek and pats my shoulder. ‘You don’t bother me.’ 

But she bothers me. Every nerve in my body seems troubled by her touch. A jolt travels through me, like the sting of electricity but softer and deeper somehow. I stumble backward.

‘Looks like the alcohol’s finally kicking in,’ Montgomery Scotty says, with a chuckle.

I turn on him. ‘Is that what that is supposed to do? Make me want sex? Is it an aphrodisiac? Are we having an orgy?’

Champagne shoots out of Sulu’s mouth and nose, as he buckles down laughing. Ben has to hold him steady, so he does not fall on the floor.

‘What?’ I say. ‘Why is everything I do and say so amusing?’

‘We aren’t having an orgy,’ Nyota says, ‘why would you think that?’

She does not sound angry but genuinely confused. She glances towards Spock, who rushes off to the other side of the room and returns with a metal device that Montgomery Scotty called a ‘tricorder.’ Spock scans me with it, his eyebrows drawing close to each other.

‘I don’t understand. The tricorder says that the alcohol is not affecting you in any way, Jaylah. Your metabolism deters any inebriating influence, much in the same way mine does.’

Sulu, who is trying to keep a straight face, stumbles forward, with Ben still holding his arm. ‘You don’t understand? Really?’

Spock shakes his head.

I cross my arms. ‘What don’t we understand?’

‘You’re obviously under the same influence as Spock – Lieutenant Nyota Uhura. And she’s a potent potion to fall for.’

‘Sulu, please,’ Nyota says, ‘stop talking.’

Sulu points to Spock and me. ‘You both think Uhura is hot.’

Nyota clamps a hand over Sulu’s mouth. ‘Shut up. You’re making this worse.’

Ben pulls Sulu back against him. ‘I think someone needs to go to bed.’

Sulu looks up at him with wide eyes. ‘Not me.’

Ben tugs on his arm, leading him towards the door. ‘You’re worse than Demora.’

‘Am not.’

Ben just shakes his head and continues to haul Sulu out of the room. ‘Good night, everyone!’

‘Good night, Sulus!’ Jim calls, blowing a kiss.

The doors shut behind them. I stand, embarrassed and unsure what to do. Nyota is toying with her tracking device necklace, and Spock seems to be puzzling over the problem in his head. He eyes Nyota, jealous maybe, curious undoubtedly, like he is seeing her again for the first time and through my eyes.

I want the floor to fall from under my feet. I want the ceiling to topple down on top of me. I can’t keep standing here, in the light of dusk, waiting for someone to break the knowing silence.

So, I do what I have done all my life, and what I promised myself I would not do again. I run. I run out of the room and down the street of the city. The buildings around me stand tall and violet in the fading light, and I hit the sky with my fists, grab at my hair and pull until the sharp physical pain swallows the desolation I feel. I was lying to myself thinking I would ever fit in with these humans. Already I have erred. I stare at the glory of Yorktown and feel like spittle in the mud, discarded and dirty.

‘Jaylah! Jaylah, wait!’ I hear boots behind me, and Nyota is grabbing my arm before I can dash away. Curse her long legs. She pulls me to face her, and she brushes the tears from my cheeks. ‘Hey, hey,’ she says, ‘it’s going to be all right.’ 

There is lullaby tranquility to her voice. She pushes my hair out of my face and winds it back behind me again. 

‘You’re not mad at me?’ 

She shakes her head. ‘Why would I be mad at you? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have tried teaching you to dance in front of everyone. Sorry for embarrassing you like that.’

I stare at her, dumbfounded. ‘What are you talking about? I embarrassed myself.’

Nyota squeezes my hand. ‘Well, maybe a little, but that’s just part of the experience. You can’t really live without looking silly at some point. And, Jaylah, what you said back there was really quite flattering. I’m not in the right position to start a new relationship right now. Hell, I don’t even know where I am in my old one, but I can’t help but feel pleased that you find me attractive because you are downright beautiful.’

She smiles at me, just like before kind and welcoming, and even if we are never more than friends, I know that smile is a promise, a sign that she is looking out for me.

‘Thanks,’ I say.

She hugs me, and the warmth of her body is like sunshine. ‘I am going to teach you how to dance.’

I laugh. ‘You can try.’

**Author's Note:**

> Sofia Boutella, who plays Jaylah, is actually a super, incredible dancer, like mind-blowingly incredible, and if they ever make another movie with Jaylah, and they decided to use Sofia's incredible dancing, I would be thrilled. Nevertheless, I wanted to write this, so here it is. Also, happy holidays, everyone!


End file.
